Huron Expositor, 2002-03-06, Page 9An inside look at...
Insulin pump helps local man
regulate his blood sugar levels
By Susan Hund•rtmark
Expositor Staff
...Living with Diabetes
Rick Wood, who's had
diabetes for more than 20
years, is the first in Seaforth
to use an insulin pump, the
latest technology for
diabetics to regulate their
blood sugar levels.
The insulin pump, which
has been reduced from the
size of a carpenter's belt
when it first came out in
1983 to the size of a pager,
.performs the function of the
pancreas, the organ which no
longer works in people with
Type I diabetes.
"I tried everything else and
I wasn't maintaining a
regular level for my blood
sugar so my doctor
recommended the pump,"
says Wood.
Similar to an IV
(intravenous tube), the
insulin pump is attached to a
needle which Wood inserts
into the skin around his
abdomen.
Instead of giving himself
four needles of insulin each
day, the pump is attached to
him all the time, maintaining
a steady stream of insulin
into his system. The pump's
needle must be moved and
the insulin reloaded into the
pump every three days.
Wood has been trained
how to determine how much
insulin he needs and when
and how to program the
pump to provide the levels he
needs.
Wood discovered he had
diabetes when he was 25 in
1979.
"I thought I had all the
symptoms. I was playing
broomball and I was thirsty
all the time, I ate like a horse
but I Was losing weight. I
Rick Wood
also had blurry eyesight so I
went to the doctor and told
him that I thought I had
diabetes," he says.
Wood's hunch was right
and he ended up in hospital
for a week until his blood
sugars were regulated.
Since then, he's been on
three different kinds of
insulin and has had to log
everything he does in a day,
including what he eats, how
much activity he has and the
results of as many as nine
blood sugar tests a day.
"Diabetes is a career, it's a
whole family thing," says
Wood of the time he spends
each day monitoring his
health.
His wife also took the
afternoon training about the
insulin pump since she has to
know how to reload it if
Wood is too sick to do it
himself.
Wood has Type 1 or
insulin-dependent diabetes,
which affects about 10 per
cent of people with the
disease. It occurs when the
pancreas no longer produces
insulin, a substance needed in
the body to convert sugar
into energy.
Type lusually occurs early
in life with a rapid onset of
Huron East to replace
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
A local sign -making
company should be asked if
• it can replace local road signs
before one of the three
tenders received is accepted
by Huron East, council told
Public Works Coordinator
John Forrest at its Feb. 20
meeting. •
New provincial standards
forcing Huron East to replace
close to 500 road signs with
high intensity reflective signs
brought three tenders to
council, including
Mechanical Advertising Inc.
at $16,643.43, Trillium
Municipal Supply at
$24,524.78 and Doug
Bergman Enterprises at
$23,455.99.
The reflective signs are
easier for motorists to see at
night.
"If he (the local company,
Woodway Signs) can supply
a price, we'll bring it back to
council. If not, we'll go
ahead with this company (the
lowest bid Mechanical
Advertising)," said Clerk -
Administrator Jack
McLachlan.
Forrest told council that
while Seaforth's signs have
already been replaced, many
have to be replaced in
Brussels and Vanastra before
Jan. I. 2002.
"This is a bulk order.
There are 100s of signs here
and it's going to take a long
time to put them all up," he
said.
While Mayor Lin Steffler
said she was more
comfortable letting the local
company bid, Forrest said he
was sure the local company
doesn't make traffic signs.
Seaforth Creamery needs
minor variance
The Seaforth Creamery is
going to need a minor
variance to build a diffused'
air filtration'(daf) unit to
solve its effluence problem,
Clerk -Administrator Jack
McLachlan told Huron East
council • at its Feb. 20
meeting.
The Creamery and Huron
East are working on a way to
reduce the amount of waste
that is taxing Seaforth's
sewage system.
McLachlan said the
Creamery plans to build the
daf unit onto the road
allowance on Railway Street,
as recommended by their
engineer and confirmed by
Huron East's engineer.
"They're going ahead with
their plans and we're
extreme and urgent
symptoms. In addition to the
symptoms Wood
experienced, Type 1
symptoms include frequent
urination, extreme fatigue,
irritability, nausea, vomiting
and sweet smelling breath.
Type 2 diabetes, which
affects about 80 per cent of
people with the disease,
usually occur's after age 45
and can be present with few
or no symptoms. The
symptoms that may be
apparent include frequent and
recurring infections, cuts and
bruises that are slow to heal
and tingling or numbness in
fingers and toes.
While Wood says he's had
the pump too short a time to
know how successful it will
be at regulating his blood
sugar, he says, "So far, I've
enjoyed it."
The pump, he says, is more
convenient and discreet and
less disruptive than needles.
"You don't have to excuse
yourself to go and give
yourself a needle," he says.
It has an alarm to tell you
if it's not working, a feature
Wood hasn't.experienced yet.
And, the pump is easily
disconnnected for an hour at
a time for bathing.
road signs
working with them all the
way," said McLachlan.
He also said he's been in
contact with BM Ross and
Associates about a sewage
bylaw.
"I'll bring something
further at the next meeting,"
he said.
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Wood says the only
drawback of the pump is the
price of $5,100. He says he
spends another $1,200 to
$2,000 a year on insulin and
related supplies.
Diabetes educator Dianne
Wood, of the Seaforth
Community Hospital, says
the pump isn't for everyone
since patients have to be
dedicated to counting their
carbohydrates as well as
doing frequent blood testing.
"Some people don't want
to be connected to a pump,"
she says.
She says the pump works
well for Wood because the
pump takes the guesswork
out of regulating blood sugar
during sports since he
referees hockey games and
umpires baseball and during
unpredictable work
circumstances such as
deliveries at the grocery store
where he works.
"There are quite a few
people in Seaforth with
diabetes and some of them
are asking me about it (the
pump). It's best if your
doctor recommends it," he
says.
Call Scott or
Susan with
your
News T i p
527-0240
March Break
Hours
9:00 A.M.-???
March 9th -17 '
527-0840
45 Market Street
Seaforth
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, March 7, 2001-3
The Council of the
Municipality of Central Huron
on behalf of the
CLINTON POWER
CORPORATION
and the
CLINTON HYDRO
ELECTRIC RETAIL
AFFILIATE INC.
are seeking candidates for expressions of
interest to serve as
BOARD MEMBERS
The initial terms of office would be for one and
two year terms commencing April 1, 2001. If you
are interested in the opportunity of filling this
role, please provide your written expression of
interest along with related experience to the
undersigned by March 16, 2001. If you require
further information please call the municipal
office.
Richard Harding, Clerk
Municipality of Central Huron
23 Albert Street,
Box 400 CLINTON, ON NOM 1L0
Phone: 482-3997 Fax: 482-9183
St. Thomas
Anglican Church
Jarvis St. Seaforth
482-7861
Rev. Tim O'Connor
Sunday Service
at 9:30 am.
Parish Assistance Call
522-0929 or 345-2023
Bethel Bible Church
An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St. Seaforth
Sunday Worship Hour
11 am
Adventure Club for Kids &
Youth Groups
Wednesda s 7 ..m.
First Presbyterian
Church
Goderich St. W. Seaforth
Rev. Vandermey •
WORSHIP SUNDAY
11:15 AM
Sunday School during Worship
Catholic Church
Saturday - 5:15 pm
St. James Parish, Seaforth
Saturday - 7:15 pm
St. Joseph's Parish, Clinton
Sunday - 9:00 am
St. Michael's Parish, Blyth
Sunday - 11:00 am
St. James Parish, Seaforth
Father Dino Salvador
Egmondville
United Church
Rev. Judith Springett
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Grades 2 to 8 - 10 a.m.
Nursery to Grade 1 11 a.m.
Y:3
•r
NORTHSIDE - CAVAN
UNITED CHURCHES
Rev. Sheila Macgregor - Minister
Sunday, Maroh 11,2001
Lent II ... "Look Up To The Skies!"
Youth Group Swim Night - Tuesday March 13th at 6:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. Cavan 11:00 a.m. Northside
Winthrop 54 Goderich St. W.
527-2635 or 527-1449
•
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•
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Bowes Publishers would like to
announce the promotion of Terri -Lynn
Hart to the position of Advertising
Manager of The Beacon Herald in
Stratford
Terri -Lynn has been the publisher of
the Huron Expositor for the past 8
years and with the paper a total of 13
years.
Tom Thompson, a veteran of the
newspaper business will be the
interim publisher until a new
publisher is announced at a later date.
We wish Terri -Lynn all the best and
thank you, our customers, for your
continued patronage.
•